Horses

Sprint a proving ground for greatness

Max Presnell Character and class have always defined the Doomben 10,000, regardless of the name.

Racing

Fill The Page must fire or retire: Jones

David Polkinghorne Canberra Cup winner Fill The Page has three more runs to prove she still wants to race or she'll be put up for sale as a broodmare.

Newhaven rekindles desire with new colt

John Holloway It has been a decade since Newhaven Park decided to adopt a different strategy for its breeding interests after playing a dominant role in the industry for more than half a century at its Boorowa...

Horse Racing

Verdant on trial for a trip north

Patrick Bartley While Robert Smerdon has managed to position his stable into the most successful jumping outfit in the state, the trainer is also poised to make an impact on this year's rich winter carnival in...

Trainer accused of using synthetic peptides in his horses

Nick McKenzie, Richard Baker A Victorian trainer is one of several thoroughbred racing figures being investigated over the suspected use of peptides in their horses, including the anti-obesity drug given to some Essendon players.

Horseracing

It's horses for courses

Michael Lynch Former champion Darwin trainer Stephen Brown has felt right at home in Melbourne's heat.

For young horses, it's a balancing act in long run

Glenn Robertson-Smith Up-and-coming stars of the turf need special attention to safeguard their bone structure.

All the horses, all the form

Andrew Eddy The Age racing editor Andrew Eddy's guide to the Cup field.

Horse Racing

Japanese horses targeted for Cup

Patrick Bartley The world's best staying race, the Melbourne Cup, could be even better next year with Racing Victoria's international recruiting agent set to target Japanese stayers.

Horses are a breed apart with drug use

Glenn Robertson-Smith The innuendo regarding drugs in horse racing could not be further from the truth.

Racing

Big names face elimination as Cup horses pay up

Andrew Eddy and Will Brodie There were several familiar local faces with multiples chances still in the Melbourne Cup when second acceptances were taken for the race this morning.

Pierro's defeat spurred me to switch horses, says Williams

Michael Sharkie Having severed his commitment with Cox Plate favourite Pierro in preference for second-favourite Green Moon, Craig Williams admitted today that he would not have made the switch had the Gai...

Racing

Handy horses return to the track

Kyle Mackey-Laws And so it gets interesting. There are some handy horses returning to the track today, with several three-year-olds making their moves after the juvenile season six months ago.